Law Dean’s Ouster Sparks Anger

Some professors, students, and donors at Duquesne University are upset about the sudden dismissal last week of popular law dean Don Guter, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

As the newspaper tells it …

Without giving a reason, university leaders informed law faculty [last Wednesday] morning that Mr. Guter, dean since 2005, was out. A statement said Ken Gormley, an associate vice president and member of the law faculty, would serve as interim dean and that Mr. Guter, a former Navy judge advocate general, would remain on the faculty.

Mr. Guter told a Post-Gazette reporter that he was just as surprised by his removal as many of his colleagues were, adding that he was given no explanation and no option except to step down or get the boot:

“My reaction to this is shock. The school — really by a lot of people’s accounts, not just mine — has never been in better shape,” he said.

Indeed, according to the Post-Gazette, the bar-passage rate rose significantly during Guter’s tenure to 97 percent from 68 percent. However, Guter’s tenure was also marred by conflict with the university’s president, Charles Dougherty, over the his initial decision to deny tenure to a faculty member, John Rago, despite the backing of the faculty and the dean. (After student protests, the president changed his mind and tenured Rago.)

Some faculty members told the newspaper that they believe the president holds a grudge toward Guter over the Rago matter. A university spokeswoman, however, told a Gazette-Post reporter a different story:

Duquesne spokeswoman Bridget Fare said, “Don has been apprised over the last three years of expectations, and those expectations were not met.”